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We investigate the nanogap and polarization-resolved excitation of gap plasmon modes using terrace-stepped hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) sandwiched between Ag nanowires and Au substrates for a metal–insulator–metal gap structure. The gap plasmon modes in the proposed hybrid structure are dominantly excited by a P-polarized incident light, which is supported by full-wave numerical simulations. Plasmon mode evolution for various hBN spacer thicknesses ranging from 5 to 90 nm shows that optical signals acquired via unpolarized dark-field mapping spectroscopy are primarily due to the optical scattering of the P-polarized incident light. Moreover, this plasmonic mode changes significantly from gap plasmon mode to Fabry–Perot-type resonance in a hBN thickness of 50–90 nm. Our analysis reveals that the proposed hybrid structure based on Ag nanowires and stepped hBN provides a well-defined gap thickness and is a robust platform for analyzing gap plasmon modes.

Background Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with greater burdens of cardiovascular disease in a community. The regional disparity of SES may result in an uneven distribution of hypertension (HTN) by a region. This study aims to analyze the regional disparity in the SES and HTN burden between rural and urban areas of the Korea. Methods We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) V (2010–2012), VI (2013–2015), and VII (201–2018). We analyzed 11,206 and 1739 subjects from Seoul metropolitan and rural area (Gangwon province), respectively. We compared socioeconomic characteristics, the distribution of HTN between two regions. Finally, we performed a multivariate logistic regression adjusting for traditional CV risk factors and SES status to examine differences in the prevalence of HTN. Results Subjects in Gangwon province were older than Seoul (54.6±0.4 vs 49.4±0.2 years old, p Conclusion The SES status was lower and the prevalence of HTN was higher in Gangwon compared to Seoul. The burden of HTN longitudinally increased in Gangwon, but not in Seoul. The poor SES was significantly associated with HTN. It suggests that the inequalities of SES in Gangwon may contribute to the increasing prevalence of HTN. The regional and individual disparity of SES should be considered in the establishment of public health strategies for HTN. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Plasmonic coupling of metallic nanostructures with two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) atomic layers is an important topic because it provides a pathway to manipulate the optoelectronic properties and to overcome the limited optical cross-section of the materials. Plasmonic enhanced light-matter interaction of a MoS2 layer is known to be mainly governed by optical field enhancement and the Purcell effect, while the discrimination of the contribution from each mechanism to the plasmonic enhancement is challenging. Here, we investigate photoluminescence (PL) enhancement from few-layer MoS2 transferred on Au nanostructure arrays with controlled localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectral positions that were detuned from the excitation wavelengths. Two distinctive regimes in LSPR mode-dependent PL enhancement were revealed showing a maximum enhancement (∼40-fold) with zero detuning and a modest enhancement (∼10-fold) with the red-shift detuned LSPR from the excitation wavelength, which were attributed to LSPR-induced optical field enhancement and the Purcell effect, respectively. By applying the experimental parameters into the Purcell effect formalism, an effective mode volume of ∼0.016λ03 was estimated. Our work provides an insight into how to utilize few-layer MoS2 as a base material for optoelectronics by harnessing Purcell-enhanced optical responsivity.

Many people experience orthopaedic problems (OPPs), such as knee joint pain, hip joint pain, low back pain, and knee stiffness in their lifetimes. OPPs can impair lower extremity function, cause depression, and worsen quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between sedentary time (SDT) and OPPs. Retrospective cross-sectional study. This study used data from the 2014–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Survey participants with previous or current osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, as diagnosed by a doctor, were excluded. OPPs were defined as knee joint pain, hip joint pain, low back pain, and knee stiffness. The cut-off value for SDT was 7.5 hours/day. The study population comprised 3,671 people (1), 856 men and 1,815 women), all of whom were ≥50 years-old. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. A total of 328 men (17.7%) and 519 women (28.6%) had OPPs. Men with SDTs ≥7.5 hours had a greater risk of OPPs than did men with SDTs

The conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) forms a promising alternative to conventional inorganic conductors, where deposition of thin films via vapour phase polymerization (VPP) has gained particular interest owing to high electrical conductivity within the plane of the film. The conductivity perpendicular to the film is typically much lower, which may be related not only to preferential alignment of PEDOT crystallites but also to vertical stratification across the film. In this study, we reveal non-linear vertical microstructural variations across VPP PEDOT:Tos thin films, as well as significant differences in doping level between the top and bottom surfaces. The results are consistent with a VPP mechanism based on diffusion-limited transport of polymerization precursors. Conducting polymer films with vertical inhomogeneity may find applications in gradient-index optics, functionally graded thermoelectrics, and optoelectronic devices requiring gradient doping. The fulltext is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Solid state nanopores are central structures for many applications. To date, much effort has been spent on controlled fabrication of single nanopores, while relatively little work has focused on large scale fabrication of arrays of nanopores. In this work we show wafer-scale fabrication of plasmonic nanopores in 50 nm thick silicon nitride membranes with one or two 30 nm gold films, using electron beam lithography with a negative resist or a new version of colloidal lithography. Both approaches offer good control of pore diameter (even below 100 nm) and with high yield (>90%) of intact membranes. Colloidal lithography has the advantage of parallel patterning without expensive equipment. Despite its serial nature, electron beam lithography provides high throughput and can make arbitrary array patterns. Importantly, both methods prevent metal from ending up on the membrane pore sidewalls. The new fabrication methods make it possible to compare the optical properties of structurally identical plasmonic nanopore arrays with either long-range order (e-beam) or short-range order (colloidal). The resonance features in the extinction spectrum are very similar for both structures when the pitch is the same as the characteristic spacing in the self-assembled colloidal pattern. Long-range ordering slightly enhances the magnitude of the extinction maximum and blueshift the transmission maximum by tens of nm. Upon reducing the diameter in long-range ordered arrays, the resonance is reduced in magnitude and the transmission maximum is further blue shifted, just like for short-range ordered arrays. These effects are well explained by interpreting the spectra as Fano interference between the grating-type excitation of propagating surface plasmons and the broad transmission via individual pores in the metal film. Furthermore, we find that only the short-range ordered arrays scatter light, which we attribute to the highly limited effective period in the short-range ordered system and the corresponding lack of coherent suppression of scattering via interference effects.

Plasmonic coupling of metallic nanostructures with two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) atomic layers is an important topic because it provides a pathway to manipulate the optoelectronic properties and to overcome the limited optical cross-section of the materials. Plasmonic enhanced light-matter interaction of a MoS2 layer is known to be mainly governed by optical field enhancement and the Purcell effect, while the discrimination of the contribution from each mechanism to the plasmonic enhancement is challenging. Here, we investigate photoluminescence (PL) enhancement from few-layer MoS2 transferred on Au nanostructure arrays with controlled localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectral positions that were detuned from the excitation wavelengths. Two distinctive regimes in LSPR mode-dependent PL enhancement were revealed showing a maximum enhancement (∼40-fold) with zero detuning and a modest enhancement (∼10-fold) with the red-shift detuned LSPR from the excitation wavelength, which were attributed to LSPR-induced optical field enhancement and the Purcell effect, respectively. By applying the experimental parameters into the Purcell effect formalism, an effective mode volume of ∼0.016λ03 was estimated. Our work provides an insight into how to utilize few-layer MoS2 as a base material for optoelectronics by harnessing Purcell-enhanced optical responsivity.

Strong light-matter coupling can form hybrid states at new energy levels that share properties of both light and matter. This principle offers new routes to control material functions without modifying the chemical structure of molecules. In this work, we coupled ambipolar semiconducting thin films to a Fabry-Perot cavity and investigated effects on charge transport. By constructing thin-film transistors inside optical cavities, we could simultaneously study coupling features and charge transport in the same samples. The cavity resonance was detuned by controlling the thickness of the top spacer layer in the cavity. We found no significant influence on charge transport for our systems, which may be related to insufficiently strong coupling. Possible additional origins and future directions are also discussed. Funding Agencies|Wenner-Gren Foundations; Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research CouncilEuropean Commission [621-2014-5599]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research; AForsk foundation; National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)National Research Foundation of Korea; Korea government (MSIT)Korean Government [2020R1A2C1102558]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009 00971]

Materials that provide independent control of infrared thermal radiation and haze in the visible could benefit many areas and applications, including clothing, packaging and photovoltaics. Here, we study this possibility for a metamaterial composite paper based on cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) microparticles with infrared (IR) Frohlich phonon resonances. This CNF-SiO2 composite shows outstanding transparency in the visible wavelength range, with the option of controlling light diffusion and haze from almost zero to 90% by varying the SiO2 microparticle concentration. We further show that the transparent metamaterial paper could maintain high thermal emissivity in the atmospheric IR window, as attributed to strong IR absorption of both the nanocellulose and the resonant SiO2 microparticles. The high IR emissivity and low visible absorption make the paper suitable for passive radiative cooling and we demonstrate cooling of the paper to around 3 degrees C below ambient air temperature by exposing it to the sky. Funding Agencies|Knut and Allice Wallenberg Foundation via a Wallenberg Scholarship; Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation; Linkoping University; Wallenberg Wood Science Center; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009 00971]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research; Swedish Armed Forces Research and Technology programme

Being able to dynamically shape light at the nanoscale is one of the ultimate goals in nano-optics1. Resonant light-matter interaction can be achieved using conventional plasmonics based on metal nanostructures, but their tunability is highly limited due to a fixed permittivity2. Materials with switchable states and methods for dynamic control of light-matter interaction at the nanoscale are therefore desired. Here we show that nanodisks of a conductive polymer can support localized surface plasmon resonances in the near-infrared and function as dynamic nano-optical antennas, with their resonance behaviour tunable by chemical redox reactions. These plasmons originate from the mobile polaronic charge carriers of a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:sulfate) (PEDOT:Sulf) polymer network. We demonstrate complete and reversible switching of the optical response of the nanoantennas by chemical tuning of their redox state, which modulates the material permittivity between plasmonic and dielectric regimes via non-volatile changes in the mobile charge carrier density. Further research may study different conductive polymers and nanostructures and explore their use in various applications, such as dynamic meta-optics and reflective displays.

Structural color generation by plasmonic and other means has attracted significant interest as a solution to avoid inks based on dyes. Prominent advantages include better robustness compared with organic dyes while also providing high chromaticity and brightness in ultrathin films. However, lack of cheap and scalable fabrication techniques has so far limited structural coloration to only a few applications and functional devices. Here, we demonstrate reflective (plasmonic) structural coloration at high resolution by inkjet printing on non-patterned surfaces. The method is flexible, scalable to large areas, and avoids complicated or costly fabrication steps. Optical microcavities on flexible plastic substrates were made starting with an inkjet-printed silver film as a bottom mirror. Inkjet-printed organic dielectric micropixels then served as the spacer layer, resulting in optical microcavities with reflective structural colors after coating with a thin semi-transparent metallic top layer. Optimization of ink formulation allowed for uniform pixels with minimum coffee stain effects as well as control of spacer thickness (around 50-150 nm) and color by varying the solid content of the ink. We investigate the possibility to obtain red, green and blue (RGB) pixels and demonstrate the improvement of particularly the blue coloration using wavelength-dependent plasmon absorption of gold nanoislands as a top mirror. Inkjet printing of optical microcavities and plasmonic cavities may find use in various applications, such as reflective displays in color. Funding Agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research; AForsk Foundation; Wenner-Gren Foundations; Swedish Research Council; Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009 00971]

Plasmonic metasurfaces based on ensembles of distributed metallic nanostructures can absorb, scatter, and in other ways shape light at the nanoscale. Forming hybrid plasmonic metasurfaces by combination with other materials opens up for new research directions and novel applications. This perspective highlights some of the recent advancements in this vibrant research field. Particular emphasis is put on hybrid plasmonic metasurfaces comprising organic materials and on concepts related to switchable surfaces, light-to-heat conversion, and hybridized light-matter states based on strong coupling. Funding agencies: Wenner-Gren Foundations; Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research Council; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linko

We have investigated the addition effect of NiO magnetic nanoparticles on crystal structure, microstructure as well as superconducting properties of MgB2. NiO-added MgB2 samples were prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of 37.91 K was obtained for pure MgB2, and Tc was found to decrease systematically on increasing the addition level of NiO. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that no substitution of Ni for Mg in the lattice of MgB2 was occurred. The microstructural analysis shows that the pure MgB2 sample consists of plate shape MgB2 grains, and the grains get refined to smaller size with the addition of NiO nanoparticles. At 5 K, high values of critical current density (Jc) were obtained for small amount NiO-added MgB2 samples as compared to pure sample. The enhancement in Jc could be attributed to the refinement of MgB2 grains which leads to high density of grain boundaries in NiO-added MgB2 samples.

We report a rationally designed coupled photonic crystal (PhC) cavity system that comprises two identical linear defect nanocavities, and we numerically investigate the controllable non-Hermitian optical properties of the eigenmodes of the nanocavities. Three different coupling schemes, namely, the tuning of the sizes of shared airholes, vertical shifting of one of the nanocavities, and lateral shifting of one of the nanocavities, are proposed. We examined the ability of these schemes to control the coupling strength between component cavities, which is a key factor that determines the non-Hermiticity of the system. Moreover, we introduce controlled levels of spatially asymmetric optical gain to the coupled PhC cavity by employing the vertical shifting scheme and independently tuning the gain and loss of individual nanocavities. Consequently, we successfully achieve the correspondingly tuned non-Hermitian behaviors of complex eigenfrequencies, such as the controlled emergence of phase transitions at exceptional points and the asymmetric development of amplified and decayed eigenmodes.

The novel superparamagnetic nature of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has received significant attention in the wide variety of fields. However, the prerequisites to use these MNPs, particularly in biomedical applications are biocompatibility and high saturation magnetization (Ms). Thus, the development of a sustainable approach for the synthesis of biocompatible MNPs, which utilizes the redox properties of natural compounds from plant extracts, is highly desired. Herein, we have examined the growth of phase selective MNPs synthesized using Azadirachta indica (Neem) extract as a reducing and capping agent. The physical and biological properties of MNPs synthesized with the modified green hydrothermal method at different reaction times and temperatures were investigated. It was observed that the reaction time and temperature strongly modulated the magnetic and structural characteristics of MNPs. At lower reaction time and temperature of 200 °C for 2 h, primarily iron oxalate hydrate (Fe(C2O4).2(H2O)) was formed. Further, with increasing reaction temperature, the phase transformation from iron oxalate hydrate to pure magnetite (Fe3O4) phase was observed. The MNPs prepared with optimum conditions of 220 °C for 4 h show superparamagnetic nature with improved Ms value of 58 emu g−1. The antibacterial study of MNPs against gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus showed that the MNPs inhibits the growth of bacteria with the least inhibitory MNPs concentration of 6 μl. Thus, the MNPs obtained by this modified biogenic approach will widen the scope and their applicability in future biomedical applications.

Plasmons and excitons can interact to form new hybridized light–matter states, with a multitude of potential applications including optical logic circuits and single-photon switches. Here, we report the first observation of strong coupling based on optically thin plasmonic nanohole films. The absorptive plasmon resonances of these nanohole films lead to suppressed transmission and Fano-shaped extinction peaks. We prepared silver nanohole films by colloidal lithography, which enables large-scale fabrication of nanoholes distributed in a short-range order. When coated with J-aggregate molecules, both extinction and absorption spectra show clear formation of two separated polariton resonances, with vacuum Rabi splitting on the order of 300 meV determined from anticrossing experiments. In accordance with strong coupling theory, the splitting magnitude increases linearly with the square root of molecular concentration. The extinction peak positions are blue-shifted from the absorption polariton positions, as explained by additional Fano interference between the hybridized states and the metal film. This highlights that absorption measurements are important not only to prove strong coupling but also to correctly determine hybridized polariton positions and splitting magnitudes in hybrid plasmonic nanohole systems. The polariton absorption peaks also show strong dependence on illumination direction, as found related to inherent directionality of the plasmonic nanohole metasurface and differences in light interaction with nonhybridized molecules. Importantly, optical simulations could successfully reproduce the experimental results and all coupling features. Furthermore, simulated spatial distribution of the absorption provides additional evidence of strong coupling in the hybrid nanohole system. The work paves the way toward strong coupling applications based on optically thin nanohole systems, as further promoted by the scalable fabrication. Funding agencies: Wenner-Gren Foundations; Swedish Research Council; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research; AForsk Foundation; Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping Univer

Steep slope, heavy rainfall and forested cover have unique soil erosion and sediment transport in South Korea. Sediment transport pattern in the monsoon region (from June to September) is complex and sediment transport modeling in these areas is often difficult as sediment load in the river varies largely from year to year. This paper describes a GIS-based soil erosion model and then developed a sediment transport model to estimate sediment yield (SY) at different basin scales. The model for estimating suspended sediment is based on Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation and suspended delivery ratio (SDR) models. For applying SDR model, basin-specific parameter was validated on the basis of field data, which ranged from 0.6 to 1.2 based on observed SY. In the study region, the high flow rates lasted for 4 months (from July to September) and over 90 % of total SY discharged during that time. At that time, it was found that annual bed loads in this area are 56–84 % of total sediment loads.

Spatially distributed sediment delivery (SEDD) models are of great interest in estimating the expected effect of changes on soil erosion and sediment yield. However, they can only be applied if the model can be calibrated using observed data. This paper presents a geographic information system (GIS)-based method to calculate the sediment discharge from basins to coastal areas. For this, an SEDD model, with a sediment rating curve method based on observed data, is proposed and validated. The model proposed here has been developed using the combined application of the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) and a spatially distributed sediment delivery ratio, within Model Builder of ArcGIS's software. The model focuses on spatial variability and is useful for estimating the spatial patterns of soil loss and sediment discharge. The model consists of two modules, a soil erosion prediction component and a sediment delivery model. The integrated approach allows for relatively practical and cost-effective estimation of spatially distributed soil erosion and sediment delivery, for gauged or ungauged basins. This paper provides the first attempt at estimating sediment delivery ratio based on observed data in the monsoon region of Korea.

Complications of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) are well documented including migration, erosion, prolapse, infection, pouch dilatation, and gastric perforation. Band prolapse within the first 5 years after LAGB is observed in about 5 % of cases, requiring an operative procedure. Here we report our experience of endoscopic treatment of band prolapses. From December 2007 to December 2013, 1,347 consecutive patients (202 male, 1,145 female) underwent LAGB; 47 patients had band prolapses and 7 were treated by endoscopy. All patients were women (median age, 34 years). The mean preoperative body mass index was 38.3 ± 2.9 kg/m2. The mean duration to band prolapse after LAGB was 10.6 ± 5.6 months. The mean duration of endoscopy was 12 ± 3 min. One patient had recurrence of the prolapse 3 months after the first endoscopy and was treated by endoscopy again. There was no operative procedure required and no mortality. Endoscopic treatment of band prolapses is effective without the need for an operative procedure.

The pipe system roles as a main bridge between membrane modules and pumps in membrane water treatment plants. Membrane operation modes generally consist of filtration and backwash processes in a normal mode, a pressure decay test as an integrity test and a chemical circulation through pipe system in a cleaning mode. Thus factors effecting on membrane performance should be sufficiently considered before design and operation. This study evaluated flow analysis for vibration diagnostic and evaluation of the fatigue lifetime in the microfiltration system applied for a drinking water treatment plant. Vibration of main membrane pipelines was measured to identify the source of vibration. Also natural frequency and fluid dynamics was calculated by computational fluid dynamics. It showed that maximum magnitude frequencies were at 12 Hz and 22 Hz, respectively at water and air pipeline during filtration and backwash. Backwash process caused mainly vibration on the backwash water pipe. The calculated frequency from analysis of frequency response and CFD was in a good agreement with the measured frequency. Fatigue analysis showed that pipelines were getting little damage caused by vibration. Fatigue lifetime was predicted more than 15 years under the operation condition of daily filtration, and more than 27 years under the operation condition of a daily backwash mode, resulting in minor damage on the pipe lifetime.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infection is widespread all over the world, and recently it led to the reintroduction of colistin for treatment of MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. infection [1]. According to the 2007 European antimicrobial resistance surveillance system (EARSS) consisting of 33 European countries, six countries reported carbapenem resistance rates higher than 25 % among P. aeruginosa isolates [2]. The rate of imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter reached up to 51 % in Korea according to the report of the Korean Nationwide Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (KONSAR) [3]. Polymyxin E (colistin) that was developed in the 1940s is still the principal therapeutic agent for MDR Gram-negative pathogens. Because of the nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity of colistin, it was not used for a long time [4]. Colistin has lately been considered for MDR treatment due to the emergence of MDR bacteria. However, the efficacy test results of colistin have been quite controversial. Most studies have been retrospective, and the clinical data analysis has been done without control groups [5, 6]. In this study, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of colistin in MDR bacterial infection. We conducted a retrospective hospital-based cohort study at an 850-bed hospital by reviewing the medical records of patients who received intravenous colistin for MDR bacterial infection from May 2007 to December 2010. Demographics, clinical presentation, causative organism, and outcomes were recorded. Patients were excluded if they received colistin treatment for \72 h and were under the age of 18. Types of infection were evaluated, following the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. Recent invasive procedure was defined as preceding an invasive procedure within 48 h, including arterial, central venous catheter, urinary catheter, or applying mechanical ventilation before the culture results of MDR infection. MDR bacteria were defined to be resistant to all antibiotic agents such as penicillins, aminoglycosides, ampicillin/sulbactam, cephalosporins, aztreonam, carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, and tetracyclines, except colistin. Interpretation of susceptibility results was carried out according to the current Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. A total of 107 patients were enrolled in this study, and their demographic and clinical data are summarized in Table 1. Sixty-six patients (61.7 %) were over 64 years, and 36 patients (33.6 %) had a hospital stay of more than 125 days before MDR bacteria culture. Common underlying diseases were hypertension (63.5 %), diabetes (34.6 %), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (24.3 %), cancer (19.6 %), chronic renal failure (CRF), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD; 12.1 % for both CRF and ESRD). More than 95 % of colistin therapy took place in ICUs. Cerebrovascular event (27.1 %) including cerebral infarction or hemorrhage was the most common cause of admission. We evaluated the clinical and microbiological responses both to colistin and to previously exposed antibiotics combined with colistin. Efficacy was evaluated as both clinical and bacteriological responses. After 3 days of colistin therapy, clinical improvement was graded as a good or poor clinical response. A good responder was defined as a patient whose symptoms were improved with bacteriologically clear pathogen within 1 week. Baseline characteristics and various risk factors were compared Y. H. Jun S. J. Jeun S. H. Kang H. J. Choi (&) Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Mokdong Hospital, 911-1 MokDong, Yangcheon-Ku, Seoul, Korea e-mail: heechoi@ewha.ac.kr

Background Dexmedetomidine has been shown to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in rats with sepsis and in severely ill patients. The aim of this study was to document the effects of dexmedetomidine on inflammatory responses during and after surgery. Materials and Methods Patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled. After induction of anaesthesia, patients in the dexmedetomidine group (n = 24, group D) received a loading dose of dexmedetomidine (1.0 μg/kg), followed by infusion of dexmedetomidine at 0.5 μg/kg/h. A saline-treated group (n = 23, group S) served as a control. Intraoperative mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and amount of rescue analgesic administered as post-anaesthetic care were compared between the groups. The pro-inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, and anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 were quantified by sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay at three times: after anaesthesia induction (T0), at the end of peritoneal closure (T1), and 60 min after surgery (T2). The C-reactive protein (CRP) level and leukocyte count were measured on post-operative day 1. Results At time points T1 and T2, the IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 levels were lower in group D than in group S (P

To explore the atypical MRI findings of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) of the liver.Retrospective analyses were conducted for 13 cases (10 males and 3 females) confirmed pathologically as FNH after surgery or biopsy with liver MRI examination from January 2012 to June 2015 in PLA General Hospital.There were 22 focal lesions in 12 cases, and diffuse pattern in 1 case. In the 22 focal lesions, there were 3 lesions with fatty change, 1 lesion with hemorrhage, 7 lesions with pseudo-capsule, regarding to dynamic contrast-enhanced pattern: 12/22 lesions with gradually increasing enhancement, 3/22 lesions with rapid wash-in and wash-out, and 7/22 lesions with rapid wash-in and slow wash-out. The hepatocyte-specific agent examinations were performed in 20/22 lesions, and 20/20 lesions showed iso- to hyper-intensity to the liver parenchyma in the hepatocyte phase.There was 1 case (female) showing diffuse lesions with obvious fatty change, and all the lesions took up the hepatocyte-specific agent in hepatocyte phase.The atypical focal nodular hyperplasia often occurs in middle age males and could demonstrate fatty change, hemorrhage, pseudo-capsule, various enhancement patterns. And when the FNH showed atypical routine MRI findings, the use of the hepatocyte-specific agent could facilitate the diagnosis.

In this paper, based on the behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) in response to a toxic substance, we propose a novel biological monitoring method for the detection of water contamination. Both before and after the introduction of formaldehyde into the water at the concentration of 0.1 ppm, the swimming activities of C. elegans are continuously recorded by a charge coupled device camera at the rate of four frames per second. The behavior in each of the image frames is characterized by the branch length similarity (BLS) entropy profile. The shapes quantified by the BLS entropy profiles are classified into seven shape patterns via the self-organizing map combined with the k-means clustering algorithm. Subsequently, a monitoring scheme composed of two hidden Markov models decides the water quality based on the sequence of shape patterns over a certain observation time. The performance of the proposed method is generally affected by the observation interval; yet, experimental results show an accuracy of about 83% for an observation time of five minutes. It is also observed that, by taking the distribution of individual decisions into account, the accuracy of the proposed method can be improved up to 93% and the false negative rate can be reduced to 10%.